Orlando City Storm Back to Defeat the Chicago Fire 3-2
Despite falling behind 2-1 early in the second half, the Lions produced a complete team performance to battle back and claim the team’s first victory against an Eastern Conference side this season, propelling the Lions to fifth place. “In between the goals, I thought we were far and away the better team in terms of football this evening,” said head coach Adrian Heath. “I feel as though the group is coming together a little bit more, there’s a little bit more camaraderie and it’s a really happy dressing room. I told them ‘Nothing comes easy. Anything that’s worth fighting for is hard.’ They dug in tonight and they were excellent. I thought there were some really good performances.”
Read: Match Recap: Orlando City Battles Back to Defeat Chicago Fire 3-2
Several Orlando City Players to Represent Their Countries In Coming Weeks
Brek Shea, Darwin Cerén, and Cyle Larin will all be off on international duty during the month of June, joining fellow Lions Tyler Turner, Conor Donovan, and Bryan Róchez. Shea, Turner, and Donovan will all be representing the United States, albeit on different rosters in different tournaments. Cerén will be competing for his native El Salvador and Róchez is in New Zealand playing for Honduras in the U-20 World Cup. Cyle Larin will dawn the red and white of Canada.
Read: International Call-ups Opening Doors for Others
Latino Players Finding a Home in Orlando
Six Orlando City players hail from Spanish-speaking countries, ranging from Colombia to El Salvador. They’ve found the transition to the United States much easier due to the huge Hispanic community in the City Beautiful. The chants sung at the Orlando Citrus Bowl include several in Spanish, which offers an extra bit of motivation for those Hispanic players.
Read: Latinos Finding Comfort in Orlando Flavor
Orlando City and Columbus Crew Developing Heated Rivalry
They’ve played just two matches, but the two teams have already combined for ten cards and two ejections. Columbus got the better of Orlando on April 18th in Ohio, and the two teams played to a tie last week in Orlando. The rubber match will take place on August 1st in the Citrus Bowl, where the Lions will look to even the season series with a win. “Rivalries just kind of create themselves; you can’t push that onto them. Obviously we play them once more this year, and we’ll be back down here to settle the score that we think is still unfinished business,” said Crew SC’s Ethan Finlay.
Read: Columbus Crew SC Admit Things Are Getting Heated with Expansion Side Orlando City SC
Armchair Analyst Predicts U.S. 23-Man Roster
Matthew Doyle’s took a shot at predicting Jürgen Klinsmann’s roster for the United States’ Gold Cup roster in MLSsoccer.com’s Armchair Analyst column. Orlando City midfielder was predicted to make the team as a left back, where he played for Adrian Heath for the early goings of the season. The tournament begins July 7th and will be held throughout the United States.
Read: Armchair Analyst: Predicting Jürgen Klinsmann’s 23-man USMNT Gold Cup Roster
